Free Republic

Massachusetts law faces fierce criticism from legal scholars, scientists, and prosecutors as you cannot prove a negative (disproving the existence of something that leaves no physical footprint, like a specific psychiatric defect at a precise moment in the past). Because of this, the Massachusetts legal framework creates a deeply controversial paradox in practice. The court system tries to bypass this scientific impossibility by changing the definitions. Legally, the state argues they aren’t requiring prosecutors to prove a negative. Instead, they insist that prosecutors are required to prove a positive behavioral state (the presence of rational, goal-directed, and controlled behavior). However,...

The lone holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial is pushing back after Clancy’s defense asked a judge to investigate his conduct and obtain cellphone records from the jury’s deliberations. Edward Paltzik, attorney for juror Michael Desronvil, blasted the motion as “Looney Tunes” and a “full-frontal attack on the U.S. Constitution.” He warned that investigating jurors for standing by their views could threaten the independence of jury deliberations, CT Insider reported. Below is the full statement from Paltzik: "The Looney Tunes motion filed yesterday by Kevin "Shooter McGavin" Reddington to investigate Michael is not just an attack on Michael for...

The Lindsay Clancy holdout juror’s attorney on Tuesday hit back at a motion filed by the killer mom’s defense team, branding it a “full-frontal attack on the US Constitution.” Edward Paltzik, who represents Michael Desronvil, spoke after Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, called for a judge to investigate the juror’s phone records and pretrial questionnaire answers. Paltzik branded Monday’s move a “Looney Tunes motion” by “Kevin ‘Shooter McGavin’ Reddington” on his “courageous” client in a statement on X. “If the new normal is that jurors are going to face brutal reprisals for disagreeing with a defense attorney, you can kiss the...

Lindsay Clancy’s attorney on Monday called on the judge who oversaw her mistrial to investigate the holdout juror, claiming he may have inaccurately filled out jury forms or answered questions during the selection process. Kevin Reddington, representing Clancy, also asked Judge William Sullivan to look at juror Michael Desronvil’s alleged domestic violence history and use of their cellphone during deliberations, according to a motion obtained by the New Haven Register. Judge Sullivan has agreed to impound jury information and questionnaires filed before the trial, but has not yet ruled on Reddington’s motion. Desronvil, a 48-year-old father, was the sole voice...